Club swing practice means for golfers



March 1949- I v w. J. GLANCEY 5 CLUB SWING PRACTICE MEANS FOR GOLFERS Filed NOV. 6, 1947 v a I? infill I INVENTOR. I -7fl[zav7 cfflayce Zia-117 Patented Mar. 1, 1949 CLUB SWING PRACTICE MEANS FOR GOLFERS William J. Glancey, Morristown, N. J.

Application November 6, 1947, Serial No. 784,337

Claims.

This invention relates to novel practice means for instructing and training golfers in the use of golf clubs.

The invention has for an object to provide a novel means in combination with either a practice stick or an actual club which is adapted, by touching contact with the users body, to indicate that the stick or club is properly initially poised by the user, and the users arms and body in proper initial stance, preparatory to swinging the club in a golf-ball playing stroke.

The invention has for another object to provide a practice stick or an actual golf club with the novel indicative touch effecting means above mentioned, said means including means for adjustably locating and affixing the same to the stick or club so as to accomodate its use to the physical size and arm lengths of the particular user of the same.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel practice stick, provided with the indicative touch effecting means above mentioned, which stick is especially adapted to be used within doors for golf club swinging practice.

Other objects of this invention, not at this time more particularly enumerated, will be understood from the following detailed description of the same.

Illustrative embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a pictorial view showing the operation of the club swing practice means of this invention by a user.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of a practice stick equipped with the indicative touch effecting means according to this invention; Fig. 3 is an opposite side elevational view of the same; and Fig. 4 is a horizontal or transverse sectional view, taken on line 4-4 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a golf club equipped with the novel indicative touch effecting means, this view being drawn on a greatly reduced scale.

Similar characters of reference are employed in the above described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

In Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, the embodiment of the invention illustrated thereby provides a practice stick having the indicative touch effecting means operatively mounted thereon. The practice stick comprises a hand grip portion [0 from which axially extends a shaft l l. The hand grip portion 10 is formed to substantially correspond in cross sectional shape and size and in length to that of an actual golf club, and is likewise preferably provided with an external surface structure or covering such as ordinarily used in connection with an actual golf club so as to furnish the same with corresponding hand grip characteristics. The shaft H is of substantially less length than that of the shaft of an actual golf club so that, in use, the practice stick may be safely and conveniently swung within comparatively confined indoor space, when the user desires to practice golf club strokes within the home or within other indoor location or other confined space. In order that the practice stick may substantially approximate in weight and balance that of an actual golf club, an enlarged body [2 of appropriate weight is affixed to the free end or outer extremity of the shaft H; said body being preferably of spherical shape.

The indicative touch effecting means of the club stroke practicing device is adjustably mounted on the shaft l l of the practice stick intermediate the hand grip portion 10 and the weighted outer extremity of said shaft II. In its general form said indicative touch effecting means comprises an arm l3 disposed to project laterally outward from a side of the shaft ll; said arm being of appreciable length, preferably from three tofour inches long. It will be obvious that said arm [3 is subject to wide variation in shape and detail construction. A perferred construction thereof, as shown, comprises, however, one fabricated from a strip of sheet metal, one end portion of which is doubled upon itself to form an attachment loop or socket l4 shaped to conform to the cross-sectional shape of the shaft I I so as to embrace, and form a seating for, the same. Said attachment loop terminates at one side in an outwardly extending arm member I5 and at the other side in an outwardly or forwardly extending tongue portion l6 which is disposed in spaced opposed parallel relation to the arm member l5. At its outer end said arm member I5 is doubled upon itself and suitably shaped to provide an enlarged touch portion l1 extending transversely thereof. Extending rearwardly from the side of said touch portion l'l opposite to that whereby it bcdy (see Fig. 19.

is connected with the arm member I5 is a tongue portion l8 which is disposed in spaced opposed parallel relation to said arm member is. The free end part of said tongue portion I8 is disposed to lap the inner face of the free end part of the forwardly extending tongue portion l8. Extending through opposed portions of the arm member l5 and tongue portion I6, adjacent to the attachment loop 16, is a headed draw bolt l9, and threaded on said draw bolt is a thumb or wing nut 20, which, when turned home on the threaded shank of the draw bolt, operates to contract the attachment loop It about the shaft H, and thus to clamp the arm l3 to the latter in suitably adjusted outwardly spaced relation to thehandgrip portion H} of the practice stick. If desired, a compressure spring 2!, or other resilient form of lock washer, may be interposed between the thumb or wing nut 20 and the-tongue portion 4 6 to which the latter is opposed, whereby to retain the thumb or wing nut against accidental loosening while the practice stick is in use.

The practice stick as equipped with-the'-indicative touch effecting means, since it isaof .con siderably less length than that of an actual golf club, is therefore particularly adapted for indoor practice use. Since, however, the indicativetouch effecting means will equally well serve its purpose when properly mounted on the shaft of a full ength or actual golf-club, it will be obvious that the former may beoptionally applied to thelatter, thus adapting an actual golf club for out of doors practice. This is shownin Fig. 5, wherein the indicative touch effecting arm I3 is shown as operatively assembled with a full size golf club 22.

I have discovered that faulty or improperly directed and controlled swing of .a golf club by a user is, to .a very great extent,.due to improper initial poising of the club at the end of a back swing and preparatory to performing the forward driving phase of club swing. In thiscon-nection, Ihave observed ithat if the .user lowers the head to proper headdown position, whereby to .focus sight upon the golf ball which is addressed, at,

the end of .the backswing of the club, the shaft of the club should cross abovethe users elevated shoulder so as to extend behind the-lowered head, and with the-users arms raised to poise .the club, at the end of back swing, so that the longitudinal'aXi-s of the'club extendsvery nearly per-- pendicular to the vertical axis -of the players I .have further observed that it is very difficult for the user to'know whether such proper --initia1 poise of the club after back swing has been attained, and that, without =the= user being aware'of it, the club mayin fact be poised at wrong angles in both horizontal .and

an indication of properrinitialpoising of .the club at the end of back swing may 'be positively signaled .to the user, :I have provided the above described novel indicative touch effecting means for selective attachment to either a practice stick suitable for in-door use, or to an actual ,club

with which out of doors practice 'may be canried on.

When practicing with the practice stick or :golf club equipped with the described indicative touch effecting arm 13, the usergrasps :the same by its hand grip portion in such :manner that,

when the stick or club is disposed in;.lower ed position in front of the user, preparatory to back swing thereof, the touch effecting arm l3 will project in an outward direction. As the user performs and completes the back swing, if the said back swing is correcting executed so as to properly poise the stick or club at the end thereof, the touch effecting arm l3 will come in contact with the top of the users elevated shoulder (see Fig. l), and the user, feeling such touch, will be thus made aware that proper poising of the stick or club preparatory to driving swing has been attained. On the other hand, if such contact of the arm IS with the users shoulder is not attained, or if the contact is made with either front or back parts rather than the top "of the users elevated shoulder, the user will thus be made to realize that proper back swing and resultant proper poising of the stick or club preparatory to driving swing has not been attained.

'It will be understood that by adjusting the position of the touch effecting arm I3 toward or from the hand grip portion of the stick or club,

the practice device may be readily accommodated for useby given individual users according to the physical size and arm lengths of the latter.

From the above it will be apparent that the instant invention provides .a very'simple-and yet highly efiicient club swing practice means for golfers.

Having now 'describedmyinvention, I claim:

1. A swing practice attachment for practice sticks and golf clubs other than putters, which comprises an indicative touch effecting arm of rigid structure and of a length substantially equal t0 the proper distance which should separate a club shaft from the top of the users elevated shoulderat the end of the back swing, the free end of the said arm :being adapted for shoulder contact, and shaft-attaching means "provided at the opposite endofthe arm.

2. A swing practice attachment for practice sticks and golf clubs other than "putters, which comprises an indicative touch effecting arm of rigid structure and of 'a length substantially equal to .the proper distance which should separate a club shaft from the top of the users elevated shoulder at the end of the back swing, the free .end of the said arm being adapted "for shoulder contact, and a shift-seating formed at the opposite end .of ,the .armin substantially perpendicular relation thereto.

swing practice attachment for practice sticks and olf clubs other than putters, which comprises an indicative touch elfecting arm of rigidstructure and of a-length. substantially equal .to the proper distance which should separate a club shaft from the top of .the users elevated shoulder at the end of the back swing, the free end of the said arm beingadaptedfor shoulder contact, .ashaft-seati-ng form-ed at the opposite endof the .arm in perpendicular relation thereto, and means ,for adjustably securing the stick or club shaft in the-seating.

4. A swing practice attachment ,for practice sticks and golf clubs other than putters, which comprises .an indicative touch effecting arm of rigid structure andof alengthsubstantially equal to the proper distance which should separate a club shaft from the top of the users elevated shoulder at :the .end of the back swing, the free end of the said arm being formed to provide a flat shoulder-contact surface perpendicular to the arm, and-shaft-attaching means provided at .theoppositeendof thearm.

5. .A swing practice attachment for practice WILLIAM J. GLANCEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,524,196 Matthews Jan. 27, 1925 1,536,512 McLaren May 5, 1925 1,684,192 Nemeth Sept. 11, 1928 1,699,219 Bemish et a1 Jan. 15, 1929 1,854,392 Bambrick Apr. 19, 1932 2,273,416 Norwood Feb. 17, 1942 2,388,463 Benecke Nov. 6, 1945 

